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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28620435">Neville's Secret</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmeebee/pseuds/Emmeebee'>Emmeebee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Gen, One-Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:08:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>851</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28620435</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmeebee/pseuds/Emmeebee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry never planned to tell Neville that he knew about his parents. But when Harry, Ron and Hermione stumble across Neville and his grandmother at St Mungo’s, he has to say something.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Neville's Secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I’m currently rereading the books, and it annoyed me that Harry thought there was nothing he could do to intervene when Augusta was upset with Neville at St Mungo’s. Hence this.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Standing in the locked ward at St Mungo’s, Harry wished he was anywhere else in the world. Even one of Umbridge’s boring, pointless wand-free lessons would’ve been better than this. At least there, he wouldn’t have had to see the way Neville toed the ground, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze as his grandmother scolded him. When Harry, Ron and Hermione had left Mr Weasley’s hospital room, why hadn’t they just gone a different way?</p>
<p>Now, Neville’s grandmother was upset with him for not telling them about what happened to his parents, and there was nothing Harry could do but wait it out.</p>
<p>Except maybe that wasn’t true after all.</p>
<p>‘He told <em>me</em>,’ Harry said.</p>
<p>Everyone’s gaze snapped to him so quickly that it was as if they’d rehearsed it. No matter — he had, unfortunately, had a lot of experience with being the centre of attention, good and bad.</p>
<p>Neville’s mouth was slightly open, and his forehead was furrowed in obvious confusion. Harry raised his eyebrows pointedly, hoping he’d get the message and play along.</p>
<p>‘Last year,’ Harry continued, ‘we learnt about the Unforgivable Curses in DADA, and Moody demonstrated them on spiders. Neville and I talked afterwards and he told me what happened.’</p>
<p>Neville’s grandmother hummed under her breath and her expression softened. ‘He told you, did he? Well, I suppose that’s something.’</p>
<p>In for a penny, in for a pound. ‘I think it’s because he knew that… that I was the person who was most likely to understand.’</p>
<p>‘Yes, most people find it difficult to understand anything outside their own lives. It is good that the two of you are able to discuss those things together.’</p>
<p>‘Gran,’ Neville said, presumably recovered from the shock, ‘you said you want to talk to a healer about Mum and Dad’s care. Do you mind if I walk around with my friends until you’re done?’</p>
<p>‘Very well. I suppose that’s alright.’ She checked her watch. ‘Meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes.’</p>
<p>Neville’s grandmother strode quickly from the room, and after Neville said goodbye to his parents, Harry and the others left too.</p>
<p>Ron cleared his throat. ‘Neville, I — ’</p>
<p>‘Not here.’</p>
<p>Neville led them through endlessly white corridors and past bustling healers’ stations before taking a right at a large potted fern and slipping into a small kitchenette. ‘Tea?’</p>
<p>‘Yes, please,’ Hermione said, and Harry and Ron nodded.</p>
<p>Taking four mugs from a cupboard, Neville filled them from a teapot that was sitting on the counter.</p>
<p>‘It’s magically enchanted to stay hot,’ he explained as he handed them out. Then, sighing, he turned to Harry. ‘How long have you known?’</p>
<p>‘Since May. Dumbledore put his memory of the Lestranges’ trial in a Pensieve in his office, and I stumbled into it and heard your parents’ names.’ “Stumbled” wasn’t the right word, but Harry didn’t want to admit to snooping, especially given what he’d uncovered. From the knowing look Hermione shot him, though, he suspected she knew. ‘Dumbledore found me in the Pensieve, explained what happened and swore me to secrecy.’</p>
<p>‘Oh.’ Neville stared down at his teacup, which he hadn’t so much as sipped. ‘I’m <em>not </em>ashamed of them, you know,’ he said heatedly. ‘It’s… They’ve been like that since before I can remember. I wish it were different, but it’s how things are, and… and I’m not ashamed of them.’</p>
<p>‘We never thought you were, mate,’ Ron said.</p>
<p>‘It’s just that people make fun of me already for all sorts of things. Can you imagine how Malfoy would react if he knew?’</p>
<p>Harry winced. He could almost hear Malfoy saying something snide in Potions about how forgetfulness ran in Neville’s family or it was no wonder he couldn’t tell two ingredients apart when his parents couldn’t even recognise him. ‘He’d use it as fodder for years.’</p>
<p>‘Exactly.’ Neville looked between the three of them. ‘Please don’t tell anyone.’</p>
<p>‘We would never,’ Hermione said. ‘It’s not our secret to tell.’</p>
<p>‘Thank you.’ Neville poured out his untouched tea and washed the mug. ‘I should head down to the lobby. Gran won’t be happy if she gets there before me.’</p>
<p>‘See you when school goes back,’ Harry said.</p>
<p>‘Yeah.’ Neville smiled, but it was a little too stiff and thin to be natural. ‘I can’t wait for our next D.A. lesson.’</p>
<p>He left, and Ron let out a long, slow exhale. ‘I never would have guessed.’</p>
<p>‘There were four of them,’ Harry said quietly. ‘Sirius’ cousin, Bellatrix, two Lestrange brothers, and Barty Crouch Jr. Voldemort had just disappeared after trying to kill me, and they thought Neville’s parents had information about his whereabouts. They tortured them to find out.’</p>
<p>Hermione covered her mouth with her hand. ‘Oh, that’s awful.’</p>
<p>‘It puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?’ Ron asked. ‘No wonder nobody wants to believe You Know Who’s back when <em>that’s </em>what his followers used to do.’</p>
<p>They stood there in silence for a few minutes, none of them seeming to want to talk. When they finally returned to Mr Weasley’s room, it was with a far more sombre air than they’d left with.</p>
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